1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an endotracheal tube, a device for use in a medical procedure through a natural opening, and a medical procedure through a natural opening.
2. Description of the Related Art
Laparoscopy is known in which, instead of making a wide incision in the abdominal wall, a plurality of openings are formed in the abdominal wall and manual procedures are performed by inserting a rigid laparoscope, forceps, and a surgical knife, into the separate openings, in the case in which medical procedures (including observation, procedure, or the like; the same goes in the following) are performed on internal organs of a human body. Laparoscopy has an advantage in that early recovery of a patient can be expected since it requires only forming small openings in the abdomen.
However, in recent years, as for manual procedures which further reduce the burden on the patient, performing manual procedures by inserting a flexible endoscope through natural openings such as the mouth, the nose, or the anus, of the patient has been proposed. One example of such a medical procedure is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,458,131. This medical procedure will be explained. A flexible endoscope is inserted through the mouth of a patient; and the endoscope is fed into the abdominal cavity through an opening formed in the stomach wall. Observation of the abdominal cavity is performed by observation device provided on a distal end of the endoscope. Furthermore, procedure of an organ is performed by using: a treatment tool which passes through the endoscope; or a treatment tool which is inserted into the abdominal cavity through another opening formed in the stomach, or which is inserted from the anus into the abdominal cavity through an opening formed in the lower digestive tract. When the manual procedures within the abdominal cavity are completed, the treatment tool for an endoscope is removed; and the opening is closed. When closing the opening, the organs around the opening are drawn together and closed such that the organs are bound together by an O-ring.